The Cambridge Medical School

The Cambridge Medical School traces its roots back to the 1460s when the first recorded medical degrees were awarded. The 1817 appointment of Dr. John Haviland is credited with ushering in the modern era of medical education and research at Cambridge. The school has a history of success, with key individuals such as Dr. Haviland laying the foundations for the respected clinical school and leading medical research laboratories of Cambridge today.

In the original statutes of the University of Cambridge, the Faculties of Physic, Theology and Law had the same formal status. The development of the teaching of medicine at Cambridge over the next 700 years was, however, neither rapid nor smooth. The first recorded medical degrees were awarded in the 1460s; a Professorship of Physic was finally endowed in 1540 by Henry VIII. Sadly, early holders of this Regius Chair generally gave priority to the pursuit of their own interests over the burden of educating medical students. It was the 1817 appointment of Dr John Haviland that ushered in the modern era of medical education and research at Cambridge. This history, first published in 1932, describes the stages in this process, focusing on the individuals who were key to its success and who laid the foundations for the respected clinical school and leading medical research laboratories of Cambridge today.